


sacrifices

by Mukunee



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, hhhh i cant think of how to tag this, is tht the name for vampire waverly, so this is just carmilla but with wynonna earp chars, vamperly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-01-29 15:52:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12634296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mukunee/pseuds/Mukunee
Summary: Nicole knew what she was getting into when she applied to Silas. She knew what she was getting into when she got accepted, knew when she was unpacking her stuff and settling into her dorm, and even knew when she sat through her first day of classes. What she didn't know, however, was the mess her roommate would get her into.{carmilla setting with wynonna earp chars}





	1. Ms. Haught Stuff

**Author's Note:**

> hi hi! im not feeling too strongly on this chapter, but i hope y'all can enjoy it regardless! it's pretty short, but it's more of a prologue than anything, so the next chapters will most likely be longer!!  
> i love kudos, but comments help me improve as a writer and have the muse to continue writing! thanks for reading!! mwah mwah

Nicole Haught’s first day of classes had gone well enough. Not to say they went perfectly or anything, considering her pitiful amount of sleep, and the fact she woke up late this morning. She had been counting on her roommate to wake her up, but no such luck: _she_ hadn’t even woken up yet. Still, Nicole made it to her class on time ( _with messy hair and no makeup, mind you_ ), and seemed to get along fine with all the teachers. They were all a bit… Off, though. Professor Holiday spoke as if he was from the 1800’s, Professor Dolls had the shortest temper she’d ever seen, and the Dean was…

Something else.

Then again, why should she be surprised everyone was so weird? She’d heard the rumors, listened to the whispering voices speak about this school. No one was really ‘right’ here- everyone was off in some sort of way. That’s just how Silas was, and just the reason Silas was her first choice of colleges. The redhead was determined to become best police officer anyone had ever seen, and to do that well, she figured she’d need to know how to deal with all sorts of people. Even the occasional werewolf, or vampire, or whatever other crazy creatures existed.

Though she didn’t attend Silas for the education in the slightest, she knew she’d need to keep her grades up to convince her parents to keep her there. This in mind, Nicole forwent her bed for her computer, which she propped up on her desk. She got to work immediately. Nothing could distract her from completing her work, nothing except the sudden barging in of her roommate of course. “Heya, Nicole!” She knew her name? But they hadn’t even spoken before. Was there some kind of roommate information sheet she forgot to unpack, or something? “Heya… Stranger?” Try as she might, Nicole simply couldn’t remember ever hearing her roommate’s name before. “It’s Waverly, Waverly Earp. Did I forget to introduce myself?”

“Hardly,” Nicole scoffed. “You didn’t have the chance to. You were still asleep by the time I woke up, and I haven’t seen you since. You take afternoon classes or something?” The brunette nodded. “Something like that.”

There was a tense, off-putting silence for a few moments. Neither girl knew how to add to the conversation. Nicole wanted it to go on longer, and based off the way Waverly’s teeth caught her bottom lip, she assumed she did just as much. So, against her better judgement, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind, “Your hair looks real pretty.”

Well, she supposed there were worse things she could have said. Like how she was sorry about the awkwardness, or how odd it was she got home at the same time as her, despite their schedules being completely different. It was probably best not to question this stuff anyways: there was no way she’d have time to question _every_ weird happening at this freaky ass school. Nicole may as well shove her suspicions aside, and instead make the best out of her adorable, yet quirky, roommate.

Adorable, quirky, not to mention hot as hell. It almost wasn’t fair. She was a tiny thing, with the prettiest green eyes. Her hair, a golden brown, was tied up into two cute little buns atop her head. Not to mention her fashion sense. She was wearing a floral blouse with black pants. On anyone else, this would look quirky and nothing else, but it fit Waverly in all the right places.

“Ah, you think so? I didn’t have time to brush it out or anything, so I’m glad the buns didn’t come out as bad as I thought they did.” She giggled, smiling the sweetest damn smile Nicole’s ever seen. How could one person have so much going for her? “Your hair doesn’t look so bad either, Ms. Haught.” Another giggle.

“Thanks.” Nicolle absentmindedly took a piece of her hair between her rough fingers. She opened her mouth to speak again, perhaps another complement, until another stranger shot into the room. “Waves, how was your first day?”

This girl, taller and with darker brown hair, quickly made her way over to ‘Waves’, sitting herself down on her bed. “None of the teachers gave you too much trouble, right? They better not have, otherwise I’ll shove my best gun right up their-“

“Wynonna!” Waverly gasped, playful smile plastered on her face. “They treated me fine, just like every other student. And besides, even if they picked on me or something, I wouldn’t let you go anywhere _near_ them with a gun. You’d totally get suspended!”

Nicole simply blinked, listening to their conversation from her desk. She wasn’t sure which was more concerning: the fact the brunette suggested such a thing, or the fact Waverly didn’t even seem surprised by it. She made a quick mental note never to piss that girl off. “Uh..” She cleared her throat, which finally reminded Waverly she was still there. “Oh! Wynonna, this is Nicole! Nicole, meet Wynonna!”

“Roommate, I’d presume?” Wynonna asked. What else would she be? “Yep. And you are Waverly’s…?” Girlfriend? “Big sister.” Once the introductions were over, Wyonna turned her attention back to Waverly, asking her question after question. Nicole decided to take this time to examine her more closely than she had before.

Wynonna was much taller than her sister, with slightly darker hair, and less of a muscular build. She lacked the softness of her sister’s eyes, rather, hers were an intense blue. Nicole was tempted to look deeper into the blue oceans, but honestly, she was scared she could drown if she looked too long. So instead, she focused on their conversation.

“Is Willa coming to visit?” There was a pause. “Right. Shouldn’t have asked…” Waverly answered her own question, eyes noticeably dimming. Nicole made a mental reminder to never ask about this ‘Willa’ unless she wanted to make Waverly cry. “Said she was busy. I’m sure she’ll pop in sooner or later, though. Us Earps always find a way to stick together after all.” Wynonna smiled down at her sister, though Nicole could tell it was fake.

“Don’t worry Waves, Ms. Haught stuff over there’ll probably keep you too busy to even notice she’s not here.” Nicole blinked. Did she… Know her last name? Or was that just some stupid coincidence? And what did she mean by that? God, she didn’t… think she was _doing stuff_ with Waverly, did she? Not that she wouldn’t want to do ‘stuff’ with her sister, but wouldn’t Wynonna be angry? “I guess you’re right.”

Yet another anxious hush fell upon the room. “I should probably get back to my dorm now. Willa told me she has something important to talk about. But, uh, talk to you tomorrow okay?” That was Wynonna’s queue to rise and make for the door. Before she left, she glanced over at Nicole and added, “Lay a finger on Waves, and you’re dead.” Then she was gone, the door was shut, and Nicole was left speechless.

“Don’t mind her. Wynonna’s just protective, ‘s all.” Yeah, sure. Nicole’d stop paying her any mind when she stopped threatening to murder her. “I can’t see you hurting me anyways.” This caused the red head to smile a bit. Aw, Waverly trusted her? “I can see you forgetting to do your homework, though. Do you want some help with it? I didn’t get any today, so…”

“Nah, I should be fine. I’m just about done… Thanks though.” That was bullshit, Nicole hadn’t even started yet. Waverly’s only response was a smile, a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and a soft, “Good luck.” Nicole turned her head to reply, but she was already gone.

Now that she was finally alone, she took a moment to reflect on her first day at Silas. She didn’t feel that most of her feelings needed to be said, though. It was odd and confusing, even a bit scary- but that went without saying. Silas _itself_ was all of those things. The only feeling she couldn’t pin down was that gentle, calming, fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t think too much about it though, knowing the answer would come with time. Her homework, however, would not. So she pushed her feelings aside and focused on her work.

The redhead ended up typing until she passed out at her desk. She woke up the next morning with a blanket wrapped around her, and a warm cup of coffee waiting for her. “Waverly…?” But there would be no answer, for the girl was nowhere to be found. She decided against looking a gift horse in the mouth and simply enjoyed her surprise.

Even though she took her coffee black, she drank every drop of the milk-infested, sweet liquid.


	2. Sweet Coffee and Bitter Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dab dab I cant believe I got this chapter out so soon  
> Thank you everyone for your comments / kudos!! It means a lto to know people are enjoying this. I hope you like this chapter!! : D  
> ((lmao count how many times I use the word coffee))

“Hey, did you forget to drink your coffee this morning or something?”

Nicole was exhausted by the time she made it back to her dorm. She had been looking forward to finally getting some rest, but of course, Professor Holiday just _had_ to assign a huge history project due in only a couple days. This in itself would have been manageable, had the project not have been a mandatory group assignment, where said groups were chosen by Holiday himself. So, instead of returning to her dorm alone, she was accompanied by Jeremy Chetri. He wasn’t a bad kid or anything ( _he was actually quite fun to talk to if nerdy, geeky shit was your thing_ ), Nicole was just the kind of person who preferred working alone. That way, she could mess up all she wanted, and she was the only one who was affected.

“No… I’m pretty sure I downed my coffee the moment I saw it.”

She allowed her mind to wander as she looked around the room, curious as to why Jeremy would even ask such a question. It seemed to come out of nowhere, until she noticed a fresh cup sitting peacefully at her desk. It was in a new mug, and upon closer inspection, she noticed it was made the exact same way it had been the morning prior. “Oh. My roommate must have brewed me a pot at... Some point.” She shrugged it off as nothing, taking a sip. “I’ve gotta find some way to let Waverly know I take my coffee black. Still… Isn’t that so sweet? Waverly took the time to put all this milk and sugar in _my_ coffee. For me!”

Jeremy opened his mouth to comment on her fixation with Waverly’s morning coffee habits, but quickly shut it. There was a place and time for everything after all. “Whatever. You don’t need to hear about my coffee-woes. Let’s get to work, hm?” She gave Jeremy no chance to reply, already sitting down on her bed and fishing her laptop out of her bag. “What book did he say we had to read? Mircalla?”

“ _Carmilla,_ ” He corrected. “It’s not that long of a book… And considering it was written in 1870, it’s not that hard of a read either. We should be able to get it done today if we really try.” Nicole nodded halfheartedly- obviously, her mind was elsewhere during Jeremy’s blither. “Right... I can’t help but wonder why Professor Holiday wanted us to read something like this for our first assignment, though. I mean, doesn’t he teach history? I’m not sure what impact a stupid vampire book could have on history. I don’t think I’ve met anyone who’s even _heard_ of it, let alone actually read it.”

“Who knows?” Jeremy shrugged. “I’ve heard it’s best not to question him and his ways. No one who’s taken his class has ever gotten the point of it. Willa Earp told me about this one time-“

“Willa _Earp?_ ” Nicole quirked a brow at the name. Jeremy knew Willa too? Did everyone know the Earps except for her? “Yeah. She’s a senior, kinda has that ‘head bitch in charge’ attitude. I’ve never met a more terrifying woman in my life, probably.”

“Oo, I wasn’t even going for terrifying…” Both students whipped their heads towards the source of the sudden voice. “I do like the sound of that, though.” The voice’s owner smirked in a way that made Nicole’s skin crawl. “Oh, h-hey Willa. Didn’t expect to see you here so early…”

So _this_ was the infamous Willa she’s heard so much about? Nicole wasn’t expecting her to look… Well, like that. She looked more the caring older sister type than the murderous, flakey, terror of a girl she’d be expecting. That was probably for the best through, right? If she really was the person Nicole was starting to think she was, it’d help if she didn’t _look_ the part. That way, should she ever need to stand up to her, it wouldn’t be as shit-your-pants scary. “To be fair, I didn’t expect _you_ in my sister’s dorm either, lab rat.” She spat back. “Anyways, I was more here to tell Waverly something. Of course she’s not here when I actually need her to be.”

“Nope. I can take a message if you want, though.” The offer was polite and generous, but Willa’s face made it look like Nicole had just insulted her very character. “And why would I trust you with anything? From what I’ve heard, you’re just some nosy, annoying ginger.” Okay, two things. One: Where did Willa hear these things, and two: who called her an annoying ginger? “I’ll just come back later. Hopefully when you’re asleep, or out, or like, anywhere that’s not in this dorm by then. ”

With that insulting jab finished, Willa was gone. “How’d you get on her bad side, anyway?.” Nicole tried to think of anything she could have done to wrong her, but honestly, “I have no idea.”

She didn’t have long to think on it, though. Whatever thoughts she may have had were pushed aside when Waverly paraded into the room, with a man on her arm and a beer in her hands. “Yo, wasup, Waverly’s hot roommate!”

“Hey, guys.” Waverly waved, ignoring her friend’s rather blunt comment. “This is Champ. Champ, this is Nicole.” Nicole offered a wave, but Champ just continued to speak, “Hey, Waves, do you think we could set some sorta hot threesome up between us three? Heh, that’d be-“

“Please stop talking.” Nicole cut him off. “How much did he have to drink, anyways?” Waverly let out a nervous chuckle. “A lot.” Even her voice was slurred. Where had these two gone to get so hammered so early in the day? “Babe... Fine. But if we can’t have a threesome, a good ol’ twosome’ll have to do…”

Nicole turned her head away when she saw Champ begin to get handsy with Waverly. Oh, okay. At least she wouldn’t have to guess on how Waverly and Champ were related… Still, it was a pretty gross thing to witness. Plus, that meant Waverly was both taken _and_ straight, which sucked. “Champ- not now…”

“C’mon, babe! I need this. Dave’s been crying in my ear for the past like, five hours, man! ‘Wah, my girlfriend went missing! Wah, she’s like, totally dead man!’ Like shut up! She probably just ran away from your annoying ass.”

“Wait. Missing girl?” Nicole’s eyes widened a bit. “Yeah. Uhhh… Shit, what was her name? Mighta been Rosie, or something like that?” He paused, before quickly continuing, frustration clear in his voice, “She better come back soon; that girl could fuckin’ party! I heard she even managed to get it on with Professor Dolls!” How on earth was he being so calm about this? Had he even called the police, or the school, or anyone? “Did she call anyone and say she was leaving…?”

Champ shrugged. He was clearly done with the conversation, already back to feeling up Waverly. This made Nicole angry for a few reasons. There was the obvious ‘hey a girl could be dead but fuck me’ attitude that pissed her off, not to mention the way he talked about the missing girl. She couldn’t believe he had the audacity to spread rumors about Rosita at a time like this, when she could be dying in some creepy guy’s basement right now. “ _Champ_ \- I said not now. I’m not in the mood at all…”

He wasn’t listening ( _as if that was surprising at this point_ ). “C’mon, you can’t leave me hangin’ high and dry! I’m super stressed out, babe... This would really help me feel better.” Waverly tried to shove him off, but to no avail. That’s when Nicole _had_ to step in, quite literally tearing Champ away. Little known fact about Nicole? She’s been taking self defense classes since she was five.

“Get out of my dorm.” She spat. For a moment. Champ looked like he was about to fight back, but he was quick to submit when Nicole drew her favorite possession: her pistol. Another fun fact? Nicole didn’t step a foot outside her room without being armed. Sure, it wasn’t exactly _legal_ , especially while she was on school grounds, but it’s not like she was _actually_ expecting to need it. “Right now. Or I’ll shoot.”

Had she gone a bit overboard? Was threatening murder not only overkill, but hypocritical as hell? Yeah, sure. But did it get the job done? Of course it did. That wimp was out the door before Nicole could even turn the gun’s safety off. Jeremy was gone too. Nicole wasn’t sure how long he had been gone, but she also didn’t really care. Like the dedicated lesbian she was, she had to make sure Waverly was okay before she could focus on anything else. “Hey, you good?”

“Yeah… Thanks for getting him out of my hair. Though… Wasn’t the gun a bit much?” Waverly spoke only after letting out a breath of relief. “Meh. I didn’t smuggle one onto school grounds for it to just stay hidden in my shirt pocket.” She joked- though there was still obvious worry on her face. It wouldn’t be good if Champ ratted her out to that devil-of-a-dean. There was no way she wouldn’t be expelled for doing something like that. And, considering she sacrificed so much to have the chance of attending Silas…

She tried not to think about it too much. Instead, she focused on Waverly. “No offense, your boyfriend’s kind of a dick.” Nicole smiled. “Yeah, I know. Gosh… He used to be a good person, you know. Then one day he left for a while, turned up a little bit later… And just wasn’t the same.” She frowned. “Now all he can think about is partying and sex and stuff.”

“Sorry to hear.” Nicole wasn’t really sure how to reply. She’d never had to comfort anyone in any situation even remotely close to this one. She decided to change the subject, quietly speaking, “I take my coffee black, by the way. Never had much of a sweet tooth.”

Waverly simply blinked at the sudden announcement. “Oh? Good to know.” There was yet another lapse in the conversation, until Waverly eventually said that she had to leave for a while. “I’ll be back before you go to bed, though! We can talk more then if you want?”

The brunette was gone before she could reply. Was that a common theme among the Earp sisters?

Nicole ended up going to bed not long after, and when she woke up in the morning, Waverly was nowhere to be found. _I guess breaking promises also runs in the family._ She sighed, propping herself up and glancing around for any sign she had even come home last night. There was only one: a steaming hot cup of coffee waiting for her at her desk.

It was still loaded with cream and sugar.


	3. Sick Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long!! my muse decided to die on me rip. i hope this is ok! sorry if things seem a bit rushed, but i'm eager to get into the meat of this story >:3c i hope yall enjoy anyways!!

“I read through that stupid book last night.” Nicole couldn’t sleep last night. Her stomach felt all kinds of awful, and her head hurt as if someone took a sledgehammer right to her temple. In short, she was sick as a dog. Still, she couldn’t let that get in the way of her work. A true police officer worked through thick and thin, never wasting even a second on feeling sorry for themselves. So, as an officer in training, Nicole decided to take the opportunity to finally get to that old novel. “You mean Carmilla, right?” And for once, Waverly was actually in her dorm. It’s only fitting she’d only be around to talk when Nicole was feeling like shit.

The redhead nodded. “Yeah. I don’t get why we’re reading it. I mean I’m all for lesbian vampires, don’t get me wrong, but _why_ would this be our first book in a goddamn _history_ class? It’s obscure, and it’s a work of fiction!” Waverly’s eyebrows scrunched up for a moment as she listened to her roommate drone on. “It’s such a weird concept too… What do you think about it? Did you have to read it too?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Nah, I don’t take Holiday’s class. That man always creeped me out…” Waverly paused to shudder. “I think ‘Nonna read it, though. I’d ask her.” Nicole nodded, though she had no real intention on following the shorter girl’s advice. Saying that Wynonna scared her wasn’t exactly the right way to word how she made her feel, but it was the closest she could get. Nicole didn’t need to describe the way she made her feel with words, so it didn’t really matter anyways. She still knew the pit she got in her stomach whenever she passed by her, or god forbid, actually spoke to her.

“Yeah, I-” She was interrupted by a sudden surge of dizziness, despite the fact that she wasn’t standing or moving. It was almost as if she had a high fever… But, she hadn’t even seen anybody so much as sneeze in weeks. How on earth did she get sick? “I’ll try and get over to her dorm at some point soon.”

“Are you alright? You look kinda pale. You didn’t stay up all night reading… right?” Nicole was taken slightly aback by the question. Waverly cared enough about her to actually be concerned with her wellbeing? “No. Well, yeah, kinda- but not intentionally. I couldn’t have gotten to sleep last night even if I wanted to.” She explained, watching as Waverly’s brows furrowed in some weird way. “Did you catch the flu or something? It’s a bit early to catch it, but it’s probably still possible.”

Nicole took a moment to try and pinpoint exactly what ailment she had come down with upon being asked. The flu? She didn’t think so; her stomach didn’t usually hurt when she got that. Could it be something she ate? Maybe, but that wouldn’t explain why her headache was so sharp. Honestly, the more she thought about it, the less idea she had of what was wrong with her. “I don’t think so. I’m kinda clueless… Maybe I should visit the nurse or something.” Nicole tried to laugh it off, but Waverly wasn’t buying it.

“What if you have something serious? Like, I dunno…” It was Waverly’s turn to pause. Nicole could only imagine what that beautiful mind of hers was thinking, but judging by her expression, it wasn’t something Nicole would like to hear. “Ebola, or something?”

“Ebola, Waverly?” Nicole simply chuckled at the thought. “I don’t think it’s _that_ bad. I probably just need a couple days of rest to cure whatever weird sickness’s cookin’ up in me.” The two were silent for a moment. Nicole found herself searching for something to say, but Waverly simply looked trapped in her own thoughts. Gosh, Nicole had never seen anyone look so troubled over the thought of something alone. Eventually the silence was broken, “I’ve gotta step out for a bit. Champ wanted to go to some weird party his frat’s hosting. Take care of yourself though, okay? And make sure you talk to Wynonna about Carmilla!”

Without even heading to the washroom to touch her makeup up, or change out of her sweats, Waverly Earp was out of the room. This was both a curse, given how much Nicole enjoyed talking to the brunette, and a blessing, as it allowed Nicole a moment to reflect on how her Silas University education was going.

Though it had only been a few weeks since classes had started, Nicole’d learned a lot. Maybe not about the subjects she _actually_ enrolled in, of course. No, instead she learned _useful_ skills, such as the proper way to avoid being bitten in a brief zombie outbreak, or how to calm an enraged flock of owls, or perhaps best yet, how to tell the difference between your lab partner and a deranged clone of said partner.

It sure had been an eventful start to the year. Thankfully, Nicole had been able to keep her grades up amongst the chaos of Silas University, so even if she died of this weird ( _and probably Silas-made)_ disease, at least she’d have an ‘A’ in English to show for it.

_Jeremy (history partner): hey! i heard you weren’t feeling well. how’s dying going?”_

As luck would have it, her ‘Niccy’ time was short lived, slain too soon by a text from Jeremy. A text, which by the way, was super fucking confusing. How on earth did Jeremy know she was sick? Was he at that weird ( _way too casual_ ) party Waverly scampered off to or something? She figured there was only one way to find out.

_Niccy: uhhh, yea. How’d you know about that? Just curious, since the only person I’ve told was Waverly._

The reply was almost instantaneous. That didn’t surprise Nicole as much as it should have.

_Jeremy (history partner): oh! i overheard willa and wynonna talking about it, that’s all. sorry if that sounded creepy or anything lol._

Wow. Another thing that probably should have shocked Nicole, but oddly enough, was almost expected at this point. Not that he was a creepy guy or anything ( _wow, was that already the second time she used the phrase ‘not that he was..’ in reference to Jeremy?_ ), just not really the social expert type. She didn’t really mind it.

_Niccy: Oh. That makes sense. Anyways, I’m doing okay I guess? It feels like any other bad sick, but I’m nervous about it. With all the weird shit going on… What if it’s like, the bubonic plague or something? I wasn’t really worried until Waverly got worried. It just put some weird thoughts in my head I guess?_

_Jeremy (history partner): ohhhh, i think wave’s ex got some strange disease too, actually! that’s probably why she’s a bit on edge. who knows, maybe you two have the same thing :3. jk. but I might be able to help diagnose you with enough time. what symptoms do u got?_

_Niccy: Oh, geez, way to make a girl feel better. You have such a way with words. But to answer your question, I’m feeling kinda light headed, with a headache so strong I’m kind of surprised I’m still alive. My stomach feels like it’s in knots, and my memory is a bit shotty. That enough for you to diagnose me, Dr. Jeremy?_

Despite how sarcastic she sounded, she did find that bit of information fascinating. Waverly had an ex? As in, someone she dated before Champ? Was it possible that ‘someone’ happened to be a girl? Wait- fuck, that totally wasn’t what Nicole was supposed to take from that.

_Niccy: Wait. What happened to her ex?_

The one time Nicole actually wanted an answer, Jeremy stopped responding. Great! Honestly, what a spurt of luck Nicole was having!

And it got better! A few minutes after Jeremy decided to go M.I.A., the two Earp sisters Nicole definitely did not want to see were knocking at her door, one with a thermos in hand, and the other with a small giftbag. “Hey, Haught.” Wynonna opened the door without waiting for Nicole’s consent. Shit. Nicole never thought she’d _need_ to lock her door. Lesson learned, she supposed. “Hello, Nicole.” At least Wynonna had addressed her in a friendly way. Willa, on the other hand, seemed like she was trying to murder her with looks alone.

“Hi, you two…” Nicole mumbled, glancing at the two sisters with a confused look in her eye. Why were they here? And what the fuck was Wynonna carrying in that thermos? And the little goody-bag? Willa didn’t exactly seem like the kind of person to give gifts to random, probably dying strangers. “What’re you, uh, doin’ here? Waverly went out like, an hour ago if you were looking for-“

“We’re here for you.” Willa cut her off, sighing and taking a seat next to Nicole on her bed- uninvited of course. “Waverly told us you were sick. We figured it’d only be right for us to come and help you feel better… Or whatever.” She handed ( _or, more accurately shoved into her arms_ ) Nicole the little baggie. “Look inside.”

Nicole was hesitant, to say the least. She wasn’t expecting there to be like, arsenic in there or anything wild like that, but neither was she expecting there to be something helpful in there. Honestly, this entire gesture seemed so uncharacteristically nice for Willa; Nicole just couldn’t wrap her head around it. “Fine. If you won’t, I’ll do it for you.”

Before Nicole could protest, Willa’s hand was already fishing the bag’s content out, soon enough holding it out to her. “It’s a ring.” Nicole stated flatly. “No shit. ‘Nonna and I found while we were roaming around the alchemy department earlier today. It’s supposed to ward off ‘evil spirits’… At least, that’s how the freak who gave it to me described it. It’s actually made of some kind of metal that’s known for its healing abilities.”

“Oh, that’s…” Oddly nice, considering the only other interaction she’d had with Willa was being insulted by her. She was originally planning on just taking the ring and throwing it away later ( _maybe give it to charity or something?_ ), but that plan was effectively ruined when it was slid onto her finger. She couldn’t just take it off right in front of the person who gave it to her, so she was stuck with it, at least until those two left. “Thanks, Willa.” Her tone was just as confused as it was from the start. There wasn’t an iota of gratitude within her words.

Wynonna was the next one to approach her, though, unlike her sister, she respected her personal boundaries and thus, sat down on Waverly’s bed. “I didn’t get you anything as fancy as Willa did. Just some homemade chicken soup. Whenever Waves would come down with something nasty, just a bit of this stuff would make her feel better in no time flat!”

Her smile was much more convincing than whatever fake shit Willa was trying. Still, being more convincing than Willa was like being taller than a gnome, so Nicole made sure to not let her guard down. At least Wynonna wasn’t forcing a spoonful down her throat; it shouldn’t be too hard to avoid falling prey to whatever horrible terrors could be waiting in that soup. “Oh. Thanks, I think.”

“You’re welcome.” Wynonna nodded her head, before standing up. “Well, Willa and I’ll be on our way now that we’ve dropped off our care packages. Do you need anything before we bounce? Waves told me you practically live off coffee, I can make you a cup if you want.”

Another common thread amongst the Earp sisters, Willa was already starting on a cup before Nicole could deny Wynonna’s gracious offer. The following minutes were the most awkward and tense minutes Nicole had ever experienced. While Willa decided to take her sweet ass time doing whatever the hell she was doing to brew the cup, Wynonna and Nicole were exchanging a series of odd, unintentional glances at each other. Nicole would be looking at the ground, and would occasionally glance up to see if Wynonna was still staring at her, and she always would be. This would result in the two locking gazes for a moment, before Nicole would eventually break it to return her sights on the floor.

Now, if Nicole had been thinking straight, she would have realized that this was the perfect time to ask Wynonna about Carmilla. But for some reason, her head felt really fuzzy. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could stay awake. At this rate, she’d probably be out within the next half hour.

“Here.” Finally, after what seemed like years, Willa placed a Styrofoam cup on Nicole’s nightstand. “We’re going now. C’mon, ‘Nonna.” And with that, Willa was gone, Wynonna following soon after.

Nicole simply blinked once the two were gone, taking in all her new gifts. Well, that certainly happened. She didn’t know why or how it happened… But it did. Her heart skipped a beat as her mind drew to the only obvious conclusion: Waverly set them up to it! Did Waverly really care enough about her to send the Earp Brigade after her to make sure she was okay? Wow… No one’s ever cared about Nicole that much! She’d have to thank Waverly after she returned from whatever wild party she was at.

As she was thinking, her gaze fluttered to the coffee Willa had made. She noticed how much sugar and milk was in there. Gosh, what was with Earp sisters and making her coffee completely wrong? She guessed she could give Willa a pass on this one though, considering she had no reason to know how she liked her coffee. But either way, the coffee was still undrinkable like that.

Maybe she would have forced it down if she knew Waverly made it, but she wasn’t doing shit for Willa. So, it went untouched as Nicole finally had the chance to lay down and curl under her covers. She was out like a light the minute her head touched the pillow.

This was unfortunate, considering Jeremy had responded to her text at some point during he Earp Extravaganza.

_Jeremy (history partner): She went missing. Nicole, we need to talk. Call me back._

_MISSED CALL (5) FROM: Jeremy (history partner)_

_Jeremy (history partner): Nicole. I'm being serious. S E R I O U S_

_MISSED CALL (2) FROM: Jeremy (history partner)_

_Jeremy (history partner): I swear to Arceus, Nicole pick up. This is life or death._

_MISSED CALL (6) FROM: Jeremy (history partner)_


	4. Sweet Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!! Thanks so much for liking / commenting! Sorry for not replying to those btw, im just rly shy, but know every time I get one it literally makes my day!!!! Ily!!! :DD <3  
> also!! Im so happy I finished this in time for nicole’s bday!! Happy bday Nicole!! Have fun slowly dying from a weird disease!! :D

When Nicole woke up next, she felt a lot better- almost as if she had never been sick to begin with. She had no idea how long she had been out, and checking her phone didn’t provide any real help. It seemed like every time she glanced down at the screen, the time would change by a few hours. “Guess I’m not all patched up after all…” She mumbled to herself, sitting up and glancing around. Waverly wasn’t home, per the usual, drawing a sigh out of the redhead.

Was it too much to ask for to want to have a conversation with Waverly? Just to sit and talk with her, as roommates or friends or whatever they were? Why was she always gone? “Nicole.” She shook her head, continuing to talk to herself. “She’s a busy gal, no time to waste sitting around.”

Nicole stayed silent for a moment. Thinking about Waverly’s schedule reminded how of how little she left her dorm, unless it was for school or something. Maybe it was time to take a page out of Waverly’s book… “Alright, Niccy.” Nodding her head, the decision was final: Nicole Haught was going to go out and do something fun. Even if she couldn’t read time properly, or remember anything besides her name, she was at least _feeling_ better. Why not enjoy it while it lasted?

Quickly, she changed out of her pajamas ( _when had she even changed into them…?_ ) and fixed her hair. She didn’t look as good as she usually did, but she figured no one would give that much of a shit, considering the way most of them carried themselves. Soon enough, Nicole was out the door, roaming aimlessly down the seemingly endless hallway.

“I deserve to know what’s going on! It’s not fair you guys did all this without even telling me!”

“Shut up, brat. Last time we let you help out you fell in love with the bitch!”

Nicole froze in place when she heard voices, both of which she recognized. The first voice was undeniably Waverly, and the second one was too aggressive to be anyone but Willa. Part of her wanted to inch closer to see their faces… But the other part of her knew not to interfere in their business. This argument seemed a bit more intense than one over stolen makeup, or borrowed shoes.

“That’s besides the point! Doing this has always been _our_ thing- you know, an _Earp_ thing!”

“You’re right, Waverly. Why don’t you be a good little girl and leave it to the _real_ Earps, okay?”

Shit. What did Willa mean by that? And what was this ‘Earp thing’ Waverly was getting at? Nicole bit her lip, wishing she hadn’t heard any of this. There was no way she could resist asking Waverly about this the next time she saw her, and Nicole figured admitting to eavesdropping on intimate wouldn’t exactly make Waverly fall head-over-heels in love with her.

“Got nothing more to say, Waves?”

Nicole almost cringed at how much venom was seeping out of her nickname.

“If you’re done with your whining, run along. Maybe if you want to be included next time, prove you can handle something as easy as _her_. She’s fucking whipped for you.”

Suddenly, a new voice entered the mix, one Nicole didn’t even recognize in the slightest. Waverly only really talked to three or four people regularly, and the owner of that voice certainly was _not_ one of them. That woman sounded mature, intimidating, and vicious; there was no way Waverly would hang out with someone like that.

Nicole listened for a few more moments, only to be met with painful silence. It would seem the two ( _three? Four?_ ) had finished their conversation, which would probably mean it was safe to continue on walking.

Well, it would have been safe, if not for the enormous wolf growling at her. “What the fuck? Which one of the alchemy members let their fucking pe-” She was cut short as the creature lunged at her. Thankfully, Nicole had pretty good reflexes, allowing her to jump out of the way in time. Nicole’s eyes widened, adrenaline starting to course through her veins. She tried to stay as calm as she could, weighing her options, gaze locked on the canine ( _who, for some reason, was waiting patiently for her to decide on what to do_ ).

There was no way in hell she could outrun it, so that wasn’t an option. And with the size of that thing, Nicole wasn’t even sure if shooting it at point-blank range would do anything… Meaning fighting back was off the table, too. Which was unfortunate, as that left only one thing for Nicole to do: try and tame the beast.

“Hey there, big fella.” Nicole kept her voice as steady as possible, approaching slowly. The wolf continued to growl and snarl for the longest time, but Nicole knew she couldn’t back down now. “What’s got you so riled up? I ain’t gonna hurt you or nothing.” She wasn’t sure why she thought the wolf would even understand her, but by some miracle, she was right. The wolf seemed to ponder something for a moment, before dipping its head in some emotion Nicole couldn’t fully decipher.

Nicole smiled. Even though she wasn’t quite sure what the bow meant, she assumed it was something positive. “There we go.” She took a step closer, only to have the wolf run away in the opposite direction. “Wait! Come back! Shit…” Nicole had managed to snatch a quick glance into the beast’s eyes before it ran away. They were a haunting green, one the girl wouldn’t soon forget. They must have had centuries of pain locked inside them, leaving the redhead only able to wonder what ( _or who?_ ) was able to hurt it so terrible. After a moment of entertaining this question, she decided it was best not to think about it…

Nicole’s stomach felt as if it was tied in knots by the time she continued her journey. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something was just flat out _weird_ about this hallway. First of all, she had been walking down it for at least thirty minutes without it changing at _all_ , and secondly, what kind of hallway just had deadly, tortured wolves running amuck? 

Letting out a sigh, she tried to cast the thought out of her mind. Sure, it might _feel_ a bit odd, but there was no denying that she was in Silas university still. And if something was so dangerously wrong, she would have noticed by now. This was probably just some coincidence or something… Maybe she just hadn’t been down this hallway yet?

Though, as hard as she tried, she couldn’t convince herself to keep walking forward. All she could think about was that wolf, and how close she had come to being shredded to pieces. What would she find next? Would that creature come back? Would something worse be waiting for her? She decided that was a risk too stupid to take, as much as she wanted to explore. Maybe she’d try again on another day, when less confusing things were happening.

Oddly enough, it only took Nicole a few seconds to reach her dorm. She thought- no, actually, Nicole was _goddamn certain_ it should have taken much longer to get there. But she figured it couldn’t be helped, and without thinking too hard about it, she walked inside and moved to sit on her bed.

“Hey.” Only to find it was already occupied. Not by Waverly, no, that’d be too normal for today. Instead, a taller brunette was sitting there, eying Nicole teasingly. “You here to join me or something?” She smirked, but it was short lived, her expression turning serious. “Nah. Of course you are. Sit down.”

Nicole raised a brow at her words, though sat regardless of her concerns. Why was this girl talking to her as if she knew her? And why did Nicole feel like she knew her too? Her face looked so… Familiar. “Do I know you?” Her tone wasn’t accusatory, or even angry, just confused. “Depends.” The girl simply shrugged her shoulders, before continuing to speak, refusing to answer the question directly, “But I know you. Hell, I probably know you better than you know you.”

Okay, that was a little creepy... “And I’ve gotta say, you got a shitty love life. You fall fast, and you fall hard, but you never fall right.” Her mind flashed back to her ex, and she sighed. How did this girl know anything about her? Knowing her name, or even where her dorm room was one thing, but she hadn’t told anyone even a _whisper_ about Shae. “What do you want?” Now, Nicole’s voice was harsh, making it clear she was done playing games. Who did this stranger think she was? What gave her the right to criticize her on something as intimate as her love life? “And in fact, how’d you even get in here?”

“Heh, you really are clueless.” The stranger muttered, shaking her head with a light snicker. Nicole would have felt insulted by the remark, had it not been for the bitterness plaguing her voice. “You don’t even realize what’s going on here. Good thing I’m here to fill you in-” Before she could speak again, the woman suddenly recoiled, arms rushing to her side. “Shit. I thought I’d have more time-” The brunette gasped, voice growing pained as she struggled to get to her feet. “Fuck, oh hell, I forgot how painful this was.” Nicole was frozen in a mixture of shock and confusion. What on earth was she talking about? “Sorry, Nicole… G-Guess we’ll have to take a raincheck. Tell Waverly that I-” Her request went unfinished as she, quite literally, faded out of existence. That was… Odd, even for today’s standards. Like sure, the wolf thing was unusual, but it was still _possible_. Chances were, at least ten person at Silas had a deadly pet like that. But not a single person could disappear like that girl did-not even with all the witchcraft in the world. God… Something really fucked up must have been going on.

She thought back on all of the odd occurrences that had gone on today, looking for anything that might point to an answer, but to no avail. She did have a somewhat better idea on what was going on though… She figured she wasn’t in real life- whether she was dead, dreaming, or hallucinating, she wasn’t sure- but she knew this wasn’t real life. 

That also meant, much to her alarm, that she wasn’t actually feeling better. It probably _actually_ meant that she was feeling a lot worse, considering healthy people didn’t usually have to question if they were dead all that often. She guessed it was a good thing to be have her head on her shoulders at least. Her mind was so muddied while she was awake… Perhaps she could use this time to her benefit.

Within three minutes, Nicole was running down the hallway once more, the childlike-curiosity absent from her mind. Now, she knew how serious this situation really was. That stranger in her room may not have been the nicest, but it was clear the fact she happened to be in her dream ( _or purgatory?_ ) was no accident. She willingly entered her mind ( _Nicole didn’t even want to question how in the fuck that was possible_ ) to warn her of something. But what? And what did she want Waverly to know? In fact, how did she even _know_ who Waverly was? She tried not to ask herself many more questions, knowing the answers would be near impossible to find.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Nicole’s eyes narrowed as she heard voices again. She was starting to worry that these voices were in her mind alone… “Who gave you that? It’s mine- stop getting it dirty with your grubby little hands.” Nicole ran forward still, not caring if these dream-versions of her friends ( _well, acquaintances_ ) saw her. What were they gonna do? Wake her up?

Still, no matter how far she traveled, she never saw them. Great- that meant there really were voices in her head. “No! I’m tired of this, Willa. I’m out! That witch can do whatever she wants to me, but I’m done!”

Wow. If Nicole thought she wanted context for the last conversation she had overheard… “You know what she did the last time someone tried to disobey her. God, I knew you were stupid, but I never thought you were fucking _braindead._ Grow up, Waverly. The only reason we’re alive is so we can do this. Do you think I like it? Do you think ‘Nonna likes it? Stop being so self- Wait, what are you doing with that?”

“I told you. I’m _done_ , and I’m making sure you are too.”

The noises that followed could only be described as raw, uncensored _anguish_ , along with the sound of something shattering. What the fuck did Waverly do? Why did Willa sound like she was fucking _dying_? Nicole didn’t know, and frankly, she really didn’t wanna find out. Now she was glad she couldn’t see Waverly… Her voice sounded so cold, so harsh, so _heartless_ \- she’d never heard anything like it. She couldn’t bare to imagine the expression she was wearing… She didn’t think she could keep her composure if she enjoyed doing whatever she did to Willa.

“Nicole?” It was Waverly’s voice again, but this time, it was much gentler. Had she seen her running by, or something? She supposed there was only one way to find out, “Waverly! Where are you?” She looked around the entire hallway, and as expected, she was nowhere to be found. “Nicole, can you hear me?”

“Shh, I think she’s starting to wake up…”

Nicole figured out what was going on right then and there, closing her eyes and allowing it to happen. The next she opened them, she was laying in her bed. The first thing she noticed was Waverly and Jeremy, both looming over her body. The second was the excruciating pain she felt over her entire body. Well, all good things have to come to an end, she supposed. “Nicole! Thank goodness! For a second, we thought you were gone for good!”

“How long have I been out…?” It wasn’t much of a surprise that her last few hours were nothing more than a dream. She just wondered why she _had_ a dream like that. Normally she would never question her dreams, and if it wasn’t for that strange girl, she wouldn’t be questioning this one either. The way she talked made it seem like she knew it was a dream too. Even more suspicious, she knew it was Nicole’s! Hell, she even had something she wanted to tell Waverly! In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if she was the one who made Nicole had a dream.

How any of that would work… Well, that’s something she could put together at some other time. Maybe one where she didn’t feel like she was about to die? Yeah, that sounded good. “A few days at this point. Maybe about… Three? Four?”

Four whole days? What the fuck? There was no way they were serious.

“It’s about time you woke up. You scared the crap out of me by not answering my texts…” Nicole’s brow furrowed. Texts? Quickly, she grabbed her phone and opened up er conversation with Jeremy, shocked to see both how many she missed, and the date all of them were stamped. It was four days ago. “God… Shit… Am I even alive right now?”

“Somehow.” Jeremy spoke again, turning to Waverly, who nodded. “Waverly and I talked some things over while you were out. I’m ninety-nine percent sure you have the same thing Rosita had before she vanished. And when she had it…”

He trailed off, but Nicole could assume where the sentence would have gone. “Well, it’s not like I’m gonna disappear just because Rosita and I had the same illness. This could be totally unrelated to her… Just a coincidence.”

Jeremy didn’t even address her statement. “Do you remember eating or drinking anything weird?” Nicole couldn’t think of anything. Her drinking habits hadn’t changed much since she first arrived at Silas: water, coffee, and a bit of tea. “What’s this?” Waverly asked, lifting a little mug off her dresser. After a moment’s examination, she came to a conclusion, “… Coffee? Did you make this?” It took Nicole a moment to even remember where the cup came from. “No. Wynonna did… I think. I wouldn’t drink it, though. It’s gotta be rancid by now.”

“We’re _definitely_ not drinking this.” With how hard Jeremy yanked the cup from Waverly, Nicole was surprised it didn’t spill everywhere. “If I remember correctly, Rosita was a coffee addict, wasn’t she?”

Waverly nodded. “Yeah… But I’m pretty sure I made every cup she drank. There’s no way anyone could have added to it.”

“Plus, didn’t you make most of my cups too?” Nicole asked, face growing a bit pale as Waverly shot her a confused look. “No… I might have made you one or two, but no more than that.”

Though Waverly was still confused, Jeremy understood the gravity of the situation immediately. There was a reason people never took drinks from strangers- who knows what they could have put in there? “Oh Lord,” Jeremy breathed, staring at the liquid with narrowed eyes. “If Wynonna made this for you, I doubt there was anything in this one… But I’ll check anyways. Maybe whoever made the other ones switched them out, in case you woke up and took a sip…”

“Thanks…” A smile ghosted on her lips, before a sharp pain caused her entire face to scrunch up. She knew she was going to pass out again soon. “In case I fall asleep again and forget… I met someone in my dream.” And there was no way in hell she was going to ignore that stranger’s final request. If she knew Waverly, Waverly probably knew her, right? “They wanted me to tell you something, Waverly. I didn’t catch what it was… But I was hoping you might know her? She had-“ She had to pause for a moment, another wave of pain coming over her. “… S-she was a bit taller than you… Had dark hair, a l-low cut tank top…”

Nicole was clearly struggling to recall anything else about the mystery woman, but luckily, it was enough for Waverly to let out a soft gasp. “Rosita- N-Nicole, that’s Rosita!”

But Nicole couldn’t answer her. Immediately following her description, she was rendered unconscious once more, leaving only Jeremy and Waverly in a panicked state of shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahahah hope u liked running thru a weird dreamscape and coming close to death for ur bday happy nday nicole


	5. Family Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hi!! hope u enjoy this kind of filler, kind of exposition chapter. love yall to pieces!!

Waverly had hardly left her dorm for two days by the time Jeremy decided to check up on her. He was smart enough to know that she wasn’t alright, so maybe the phrase ‘check up on her’ wasn’t entirely appropriate, but he figured it might help her out to know someone besides Wynonna cared enough to visit her. Plus, he wanted to know how Nicole was doing too. The two of them might not have been the closest of friends, but he still cared for her.

“Has she been up at all…?” Jeremy wished he could have been more surprised that the answer was no. “Not once. I’m getting really worried… I mean, even Rosita woke up a couple times before she… You know…” Waverly trailed off, expression darkening. “What do you think? Have you managed to get any more info on what she might have?”

Jeremy noticed something odd about the way she asked that question. He couldn’t put his finger on it, and Jeremy wasn’t exactly looking for a reason to distrust his friend… But still- the more he tried to stop thinking about it, the more it stuck out to him. “No, not much. All I know is that it was _definitely_ from that coffee. I found some weird-and I mean absolutely messed up, horror movie weird- substance on the bottom of her cup. I tried to find out what it was, but not even the _alchemy_ kids knew.”

At this information, Waverly looked away, falling silent. “Hey, don’t look so glum. I know things don’t look exactly _good_ for Nicole,” He paused, watching the way Waverly tensed at his words. “But she has a better chance than Rosie did. I mean, back then we thought she got some weird flu or something. And we still don’t even know why she vanished! We all just kinda assumed that the two were connected, but maybe they’re not related at all!”

Jeremy was never the best at consoling others, but he felt like he did a pretty okay job, given the circumstances. Because really; how many people would have been able to say anything in that situation? And it’s not like he was lying or anything like that- he really did think Nicole could survive whatever was happening to her with enough work on his part.

“I guess you’re right,” Waverly mumbled, rubbing her arm. “At least, I hope you’re right. I think I’ll go crazy if this happens a _second_ time.” Perhaps if Jeremy knew Waverly better, he would have questioned the guilty look in her eye, but instead he just nodded his head. “Me too. Well- probably less than you. I didn’t even know Rosita… We were just lab partners for the first bit of the year. But Nicole…”

Neither of them spoke for a while, though it didn’t feel awkward in the slightest. It felt normal. Both of them were subconsciously waiting for Nicole to jump up and continue the conversation, to make the two feel better, to reassure them everything would be fine. 

Jeremy felt it was foolish, deep down, that he was so affected by some random girl he met a few weeks ago. And it was. But Nicole was one of his only friends, and never made him feel bad for the awkward things he said, or made fun of him for his many quirks. He felt safe around Nicole, and Jeremy Chetri never felt safe.

He wasn’t sure why Waverly cared so much, though. Like yeah, he knew Nicole was ( _is._ ) her roommate and all, but he never really saw the two talk, or interact in any way. But again, he wasn’t in a position to question her, so he just sat next to her and allowed her peace.

“Yo, what’s up babe! And hello to you, nerd from my history class!”

And in an instant, that peace was shattered when Champ barged into the room. He flashed a ‘charming’ smile at Waverly, completely ignored Jeremy, before his gaze eventually found its way to Nicole. “Shit, she’s still passed out?” Neither Jeremy nor Waverly responded. Obviously, Nicole was, in fact, still passed out. “Damn. Hey, isn’t that like what happened to Rosita? Must be somethin’ in the water, right?”

Waverly forced a laugh at his joke. “Yeah.” Wow. Jeremy could barely stop himself from physically cringing at the interaction. Champ was trying to think of something else to say, Waverly was obviously uncomfortable, and Jeremy was just there, watching. “Hey, um… I think I’m gonna go. I’ll let you know if I find anything, got it?” Jeremy didn’t check to see if she heard him or not before practically running out of the room. God, that was tragic.

“Glad to see freak-mc-nerd is gone. Shit! That was a good one!” Unfortunately, Waverly didn’t have the luxury to avoid this situation. Champ was literally the _last_ person she wanted to talk to. She’d even rather talk to the Headmaster rather than him! And that said a lot. “You’re hilarious, honey.”

This only seemed to bolster his never-ending ego. “I know, right? Hey, what’s up with Haught stuff-“ Who said he had any right to call Nicole that? “-anyways?” Waverly didn’t feel like answering his question. What right did he have to ask about her? It’s not like he ever asked about her, or even spoke about her, unless it was to call her a psycho lesbian or something.

“Jeremy and I think she has the same thing Rosita had.” Which made his horribly-timed joke all the more inappropriate. “Jeremy told me we have a better chance to save Nicole, but… With Rosita, I-I just felt so _helpless_ ,” Her delicate hands balled themselves into fists as she spoke, shaking slightly, “I couldn’t do anything but watch, and wait by her bedside, and _hope_. I don’t think having a better chance than _that_ means anything.”

She made it a point to not look at Champ as she spoke. Waverly wanted nothing less than to have to stare into his eyes, to see the pity in his eyes, and for him to deliver some awful pick up line to ‘make her feel better.’ “Babe… Come on, don’t bring up the past like that. It won’t make you feel better or anything.” Instead, he wrapped his arms around her. His embrace felt empty- nothing like Rosita’s was. Everything about that woman was warm, and comforting, and never failed to make Waverly feel like the whole world came to a standstill.

But with Champ? All Waverly could feel were fingers sinking into her side, hands snaking across her body, and arms gripping her so tightly she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. It was moments like this, toxic moments of comparison, that would make Waverly question her choice in partners. What would Rosita say if she knew her replacement was someone like Champ? Someone who didn’t give a shit about anything besides her body? She’d be pissed.

Ah, Waverly could practically hear her voice, scolding her and urging her to move onto someone better. But she couldn’t. Champ may not have held a candle to Rosita, but he was better than nothing. Whenever she needed someone to hold her at night, he was there. Not exactly the most comforting, but there. And besides, whenever she started a new ‘relationship’, a certain ugly _something_ would always end it for her. There was no point in wasting her energy on someone she actually cared about, knowing they’d be gone within a month or two. That was a lesson Waverly had to learn the hard way.

“Champ. I… I think I need to be alone right now.”

And yet here she was, fawning and crying over some wannabee sheriff who she never talked to. Why? What was wrong with her? Waverly knew what was going on, knew what was going to happen, knew what she’d have to do. She couldn’t stop herself from helping, and begging, and even praying that Nicole’d be alright. She shouldn’t be feeling like that, not for someone like her. Nicole was pathetic. Nicole was useless. Nicole Haught was nothing but a burden.

At least, that’s what she tried to tell herself. Everything would be so much easier if she could just believe pretty lies like those.

“But I came all the way over here…”

“Champ, I-“

Waverly certainly didn’t want to deal with him right now, but she would rather talk to him than the person who came to her rescue.

“She said she needs to be alone right now. Alone with us.”

Willa, who had waltzed her way into her room some time ago, growled at him. “So beat it, before I beat you instead.” She didn’t have to tell him twice; he was gone before Waverly could so much as blink. “There. Now that that’s settled… Waverly, dear, ‘Nonna and I decided it was time you play your part in obtaining our new plaything.” She smirked, predatory gaze drifting to Nicole for a moment, before settling on Waverly. “You’d have to be braindead to not know who our target is. Am I right?”

Solemnly, Waverly nodded. “Good. We’ve got her right where we want her… I bet she even said she was dreaming before she fell back into her coma. Good. I had a lot of fun deciding what hell she’d have to wander until we decided enough was enough.”

Ugh. Everything about that put a bad taste in Waverly’s mouth. Why did Willa have to act like she had so much fun doing this shit? Was it just to spite her? Or worse, did she _actually_ find some sort of sick pleasure out of this? Waverly had goddamn nightmares about all the things she’s done… It scared her to even think Willa enjoyed it. “But I kinda want to draw this out a bit. Rosita’s ‘disappearance’-“

Waverly knew Willa said that just to get under her skin, based off the devilish smirk she was giving her as she spoke. “was only, what, a month ago? It might be too soon to kidnap another girl. Besides, Mother’s not in any rush. We have at least a few weeks to kill.”

“So what do you want me to do?” Waverly’s tone was cold; it was clear she wanted to cut to the chase and end this cursed conversation. “Hm.. That’s the tough part. Y’see, I don’t know want to risk you fucking up again, so I’m quite hesitant to give you this job at all.”

At this comment, Wynonna finally spoke up, “Hey, tone it down a notch. You can’t tell me you’ve never fallen for one of Mom’s-“

“ _Never._ I wouldn’t dream of it. After all, unlike our poor, delusional sister, I actually have standards. I mean, really Waves? _Rosita_? And all the others? I mean, sure, maybe Wynonna fell for one or two girls, but you’ve fallen to… All of them! There was Mattie, Beth, Mercedes… Hell, I think you even had eyes for fucking _Bethany_ , and she was a bitch.” The only thing that followed Willa’s words was a tense, uncomfortable silence. Waverly was too hurt to speak, and Wynonna didn’t know what to say.

“Anyways,” Willa cleared her throat. “back to the important stuff. Waverly, I want you to get real close to Nicole. Like Rosita level close. It shouldn’t be hard, she’s already whipped for you.” Willa snickered. “It’ll be much more fun when you start poisoning her coffee again. Maybe she’ll just give up and let us take her!”

So, all Willa wanted her to do was fuck with her until she broke? “Got it? Good. I’ll be leaving then. I’ll let mother know everything’s going according to plan.” Willa said, before walking off, neglecting to shut the door on her way out.

Wynonna sat next to her sister and let out one hell of a sigh. “Sorry. I tried to get her to can the idea, but once the Stone Bitch heard it… There was no going back.” She wrapped an arm around her baby sister, pulling her close. “I don’t think it matters much. It’s not like you’re gonna do it anyways, am I right?” Waverly did nothing but lean into Wynonna’s embrace. “Thought so. Look… You have to get over this savior complex, Waves. There’s nothing you, or I, or anyone can do to get out of this mess. We’re stuck doing this until- quite literally- the end of time. There ain’t no getting’ around that.”

Waverly knew she was right. She could try all she wanted to, but if Mother wanted something, she got it. And for whatever reason, she wanted Nicole. What was she planning to do about it, anyways? Sneak Nicole out of Silas? Confront the Stone Bitch herself and fight for her? How much was she willing to risk for this near-stranger? It was crazy! Waverly knew three things about her, and three things alone: She wanted to help anyone she could, she wanted to be a police officer, and she was sweet as sugar. That was it. Hell, for all she knew, Nicole could be some nutty stalker! And yet still, Waverly felt this urge to protect her. For now, she could only assume she wanted to do it for Rosita’s sake.

“I know.” Finally, she spoke, voice wavering as she continued, “You’re right. Mother’d probably give me the _Carmilla_ treatment if she knew I was thinking any of this… But… I want to at least try to find another option. And until I do…”

“I’ll keep your secret.” Wynonna finished her sentence for her, rubbing her back, and for a moment, Waverly was reminded of the better days. Waverly, Wynonna, and Willa were thick as thieves as kids. By the time she was six, Waverly had already learned a handful of swears from Big Sister ‘Nonna, and even Willa taught her a thing or two about cute little animals. Sure, Willa could be a bit of a bitch sometimes, but Waverly came to understand she was being mean out of love as she grew a bit older.

Specifically, though, she was brought back to an especially rough summer’s night. She was only ten, but she knew that when Daddy yelled late at night, it usually meant Mommy and he were fighting. About what, she had no idea, but she never wanted to find out anyways. It was about one in the morning by the time the screaming match started, and by two, the sound of glass shattering was enough to drive Waverly out of the house. She snuck out through the window and climbed to the top of her roof, tears threatening to stream down her cheeks.

The night sky was prettier than usual, she noted. The stars seemed to shine brighter than ever. Back in her naïve childhood days, Waverly would tell herself it was their attempt at consoling her. And it worked. She stayed up there all night, sitting in silence, letting the stars’ light ease her worries. Her sisters joined her at some point, sitting next to her and cuddling up close.

She never questioned why Wynonna’s eye was bruised in such an ugly way, or why Willa’s head was bleeding that night, because she already knew the answer. That knowledge alone was enough to send her into hysterics so loud it was a miracle the neighbors didn’t hear. Wynonna responded by rubbing her back until the sobbing turned to sniffling, and once the hard part was over, Willa sang to her. Waverly had long since forgotten what song, but it was beautiful, and it would always make her forget all her worries.

There was no pain, no yelling, no broken bottles whenever Willa would sing. There was just peace.

This happened many times after that, well into Waverly’s teenage years, almost becoming a sisterly ritual for the three.

After Waverly would fall asleep, Wynonna and Willa stayed with her until she woke up again, whispering to each other all the while. Sometimes Waverly wouldn’t let them know she was awake, just so she could listen in to whatever they were talking about. Willa would be talking and giggling, Wynonna would be running her calloused fingers through her hair, and Waverly would just lay in whoever’s lap her head ended up in for as long as she could.

Waverly closed her eyes, and in a flash, she was back to her sniveling, pathetic ten-year-old self crying on her dirty rooftop, with her sisters holding her close on either side of her. Wynonna was playing with her hair again, and she swore she could hear Willa’s song again. She tried to stay awake, to enjoy the moment like she once had, but she was out like a light within a few minutes.

“Willa, next time you wanna eavesdrop on us, you gotta be a bit more careful.” Wynonna chuckled quietly, watching as Willa emerged from the other side of the doorframe. She stood there for a moment, staring at the way Wynonna and Waverly ended up, before eventually sitting next to Waverly. “I could hear your footsteps from a mile away. And singing? You’re lucky the poor thing’s so out of it. That would have given you up right away.” Now it was Willa’s turn to laugh. “I tried to leave… But I couldn’t. I heard what Waverly was saying, and then I peeked in and saw what was going on and the song just…” She paused, resting her head on Wynonna’s shoulder. “Came back to me. Isn’t that silly? I still remember that stupid song after all these years. Seeing you and Waves like that… I couldn’t resist giving it a go. For old time’s sake.” Willa smiled, looking down at Waverly, watching the way her chest rose and fell with each delicate breath.

“I’m glad you can still sing it. You know, as much as it was for Waves’ sake… I always kinda missed hearing it, too.” She forced a laugh, before yet another sigh escaped from her lips. “You know, you really need to ease up on Waverly. I mean, bringing up _everyone_ like that? She didn’t get over Mattie for at least a year, and Rosita’s still fresh in her mind…” Her voice lowered when it came to their names. Wynonna hated thinking back on everyone they’d done wrong, and disliked saying their names even more. They didn’t deserve having their names be sullied be someone as sinful as her. “Waverly didn’t need to be reminded of all that shit.”

Willa had no response. She wanted nothing more than to argue with her, but she was right. Bringing up all her ruined relationships was uncalled for. “It wouldn’t kill you to be a bit nicer. Waverly might now show it, but she misses you. I miss you. And who knows? Maybe if we band together again, we could really break free of that bitch’s curse.”

“If I’m not mean to her, who will be? She needs to learn that falling for every other girl we must grab isn’t going to do anything besides fucking kill her. She won’t listen to you, she won’t listen to Constance… At least if I go hard on her, she probably won’t be quick to forget it.” Willa sighed. “Being a bitch is the only way to get through that thick skull of hers.”

Wynonna was at a loss for words for a moment, before letting out a sad chuckle. “Shit. How’d it end up like this? I used to think we’d be sleeping on that roof for the rest of our lives.” She said, nuzzling into her big sister. “And that the worst thing we’d have to go through was boy drama and daddy issues. Now look at us. Ain’t it funny…”

She trailed off, effectively ending the conversation. Neither of the two really minded, though. With Waverly asleep, Wynonna yawning every couple minutes, Willa understood that now wasn’t even the place for a conversation. After a few minutes, Wynonna conked out too, leaving just Willa.

“Sorry.” She whispered, toying with the jewl dangling from her neck as she spoke. “This is all my fault.”

Only two of the Earp sisters were left on the couch by the next morning, but in the room, a total of three people were awake.

When Nicole opened her eyes, she was shocked to find her body wasn’t hurting at all. Her fever felt as if it had gone down… And considering there were no deadly wolves, or strangers sitting in her bed, she could only assume she was awake for real now.

“Mornin’, sleepy head.” Wynonna waved to her. “You feelin’ better?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Nicole wanted to say more, perhaps to describe all the odd events that took place in her dream, but stopped short when her gaze fell on Waverly. Her eyes were puffy, and her nose was tinted red in that ‘I’ve been crying since three in the morning’ way. And here she thought she’d be excited to see her up and about again. She made a note to ask her about it later. For now, she just wanted to rest for a bit, and leave the two sisters to their little moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu catch me writing the daddy kink out of willa's character   
> yea. i decided that willa wasn't gonna be 'hahah bitchQ!!!!im bitch!!!!!hat u!!!'. because like, that willa was ugly no thx  
> hope u enjoyed!! pls like and comment so i kno what im doin good on and what i have to work on!! <3


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